Improvement in fire-esgape ladders



IINITED STATES PATENT OFI-rolaA l ROBERT G. PIKE, OF MIDDLETOWN,CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR 'IO NICHOLAS PIKE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-ESCAPE LADDERS.

Specifica-tion forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,261, dated June 21,1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT G. PIKE, of the city of Middletown, county ofMiddlesex, and State of Connecticut, have invented and made a new anduseful Contrivance for Facilitating Escape from Burning Buildings, whichI call the folding-ladder chair;7 the same having the conveniences of achair and ladder combined;

and the following` is a true and lexact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this myspecification.

My invention consists of a ladder formed in sections, proportioned andhinged together so as to be easily folded into the form of a chair orseat. These sections are made, like frames, of strong wood, bolted or.otherwise firmly fastened at the corners, and for an ordinarysizedarm-chair they.` are about three-fourths of an inch thick, from two tothree inches Wide on the sides and ends, (or rung-pieces,) making aframe or section about eighteen inches square. Twenty-four of thesehinged together so as to fold alternately one upon the other will make acube or pile for a seat eighteen inches square and eighteen inches high,without casters and cushions. Eleven more of them hinged together willform aback four and one-half feet high by fifteen inches wide. Unitedthey all make a length extending over fty-two feet. Arms are attached tothe sides in such manner that they can be easily turned around to serveas hooks for holding the ladder in place on the window-sill. Ropes areattached, so adj usted along its length that they cannot becomeentangled, and are entirely within the chair. Casters are also placed onthe bottom. Its construction will be more readily understood byreference to the draw- 1ngs.

Figure I represents the ladder extended for use. Fig. II represents thesame ladder on a larger scale, folded so as to form a chair or seat, butdivested of its cushioned or boarded seat and back.

The same letters make the same parts in these two figures.

a b, b c, c d, 85o., are the sections, hinged together at b b', c c', dd', and so on, so as to fold in the requisite direction.

Fig. II represents a chair, say, three feet high and fifteen inches Wideon the back, fifteen inches square on the seat, and (without the boards,cushions, or casters) nine inches high. This, with the cushions andcasters, would be about the height of a common chair. The sections arethree-fourths of an inch thick 5 twelve of themthat is, from e to q inFig. I- make the seat as represented in Fig. II, and fourteen ofthemthat is, three sections (.f triple length and one section ofdoublelength,

from a to e, in Fig. I-make the back as represented in Fig. Il. Thisback is joined lo the seat by hinging the outer section of the back tothe lower section'ot the seat, as represented at e in Figs. I and II.The three back-sections extend only to the lower section ofthe seat,which is made one and one-half inch longer to admit of thus hanging theseat to the back. The upper section of the seat q r holds the board orcushion, which is fast ened by screws at w w zc zo, and it is setforward three-fourths of an inch or more to give space for the frontsection ofthe back a c, to which the back-board or cushion is fastenedby screws at w w w w.

Fig. I shows the cushions at a b and q i".

In Fig. I, c' f' and c j' are moldings on each side along the bottom, torelieve the plain side and cover the notch at c. Its outline is seen indotted lines in Fig. II. www are the arms ofthe chair, crooked, asrepresented, so as to serve as hooks for the ladder. They are madestrong and stiff, of brass or iron, and firmly held tothe back by therod z z z, which extends from side to side through the front section ot'the back at a proper height from the seat, so as to permit the arms toturn in a vertical plane when the ladder is extended. Near the back endof the arm is a slot eut half-way down to catch and hold to a pin, y,fastened into the outer section of the back, so as to keep the sectionsof the back, as .Well as the arm itself, in place. These two arms arebraced together by a rod or strip, as represented at t t t, Fig. I, anda channel is cut across the under side of the top section to catch andreceive this rod when shut down, and thus hold the arms iirmlyto thechair.

Any device or form may be given to the arms,provided they preserve thegeneral form of a hook.

In Fig. II, o is asmall hasp, which holds the seat to the back. Asimilarhaspison the other side. To open the chair into a ladder, we lift thesehasps, raise the cushion and the taste.

arms, and the chair is easily extended, the arms swinging round the enda' a, as represented in Fig. I.

The dotted lilies s s s, &c., are the ropes fastened to the iron rod onwhich the arms turn; thence, extending the Whole length of the ladder,passing in and out so as to cross therungs on the hinged sides, so thatwhen the sections are shut the rope falls on the inside out of sight.Itis held infplace by staples, around and through each of which it takesa turn. The ropes are tied together at the bottom and can be continued,it required, in knotted lengths, as at s s s', &c., which may be woundon a hook inserted under the cushion.

The vsections c d and d e require to be channeled a little to allowthese ropes to pass when folded. These ropes should be about one-fourthot' an inch in diameter where. two are used, but relatively larger whereonly one is used, the object and use of the rope being to strengthen theladder againstany latent defect in the hinges or sections, While it alsoserves to partially stfffen it when extended, particularly when it isdrawn tant by persons standing at the foot of the ladder.

I have thus des( ribed the simplest form of my contrivanee. It vmay bevaried to suit the The arrangement of the sections and mode of hing-in gmay be varied without deviating from the principle ofthe invention. Thusthe seat may be set on end and attached to the back, so that the opentop will be open front. The seat-sections also may be cut into suchlengths and hinged so as to Wind up, over and over, into a seat. 'I hesections themselves may be made by forming the rung pieces of iron rodsiirmly fastened into the wooden sides, as at Fig. III, and thesesections may be connected by hinges orjoints formedas strips of ironwith an eye in each end, through which the run gs pass, the strips beingon each side Within the ladder and serving toelongate it when opened asrepresented at Fig. IV.

a b, a 11,@ b, & are the sections, and m m m, &o., are the hinges orstrips turning on the rungs e cc, &c`.; but all these are onlyvariations, Without chan gin g the principle or nature of myinvention,and for reasons of economy and convenience I prefer the plandescribed in Figs. I and II.

Now what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is asfollows 1. Dividing a ladder into sections and joining them together byhinges or any similar joint, in such manner that the sections may befolded flat upon each other, into the form of a seat or chair,substantially as described.

2. Forming and attaching the arms together and to the chair or ladder insuch a way that they may be used for hooks to sustain theladder.

3. The application of one or two ropes to a ladder, substantially in themanner and for the purpose as described.

ROB ERT G PIKE.

Witnesses:

WM. I. DUFFIELD, M. M. HIGBY.

